• The Elric brothers are stuck in the town of Rockmend due to a storm. They are tempted to leave until they hear the name of a person they knew on the radio claimed to be causing a series of murders all over Amestris. And the name is one of the most familiar of all of them. Now Edward and Alphonse aren’t leaving Rockmend until they’re proven wrong, knowing that this might be one of the most shocking thing they’ll ever get mixed up in.
    They shock of knowing the name of the cold-blooded has changed Edward and Alphonse’s attitudes drastically. Edward’s temper has become a lot less short and is able to deal with the things that used to bother him. Alphonse has the temper and snaps on accident when, for once, Edward hasn’t anything to say back to the harsh words that are often said to him.

    1: The Mysterious News

    Rain was coming down hard in Rockmend. When the clock struck ten o’clock at night, Edward Elric flopped on the bed of the hotel he was staying at overnight to avoid the rain, obviously irritated from the layover. He groaned and said, “It’s been nearly three hours and the rain hasn’t stopped!” he sat up and looked at Alphonse, his younger brother by a year. He had been staring out the window for the past ten minutes. Finally, he spoke. “Judging by hard it’s coming down outside, I’m guessing it won’t be until tomorrow night before we’ll be able to leave.” Suddenly, the radio flashed to the news. “Hello residents of Rockmend. Just some news about the rain. By how hard it’s coming down, our best prediction is it’ll be tomorrow before the rain stops.” Edward stared at the radio, at his brother, at the radio and back at his brother. “How… do you do that?” He asked.
    “It’s… it’s just a lucky guess.”
    “Oh please. You’ve been able to do that for years.”
    Four years before, Edward and Alphonse Elric lost their mother to a fatal disease. Trisha Elric was the only parent they knew was alive. Their father ran off when Alphonse was born and never came back. They wanted her back so much that they made a decision to bring her back from the dead. They both knew the law of alchemy, of Equivalent Exchange: humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. They knew that something had to be taken from them. Though, a life for a life has never been enough.
    Unfortunately, the attempt rebounded. In exchange, Alphonse lost his entire body and Edward lost his left leg to the void. Fearing he might lose the only family he had; Edward sacrificed his right arm to pull back his brother’s soul and bound it to a suit of armor. The attempt had created something, but the thing that came back was anything but human.
    Shortly after, Edward was equipped with artificial auto-mail limbs. The Elric brothers had made their choice. They decided to leave their hometown on a search to find a method to regain their original bodies. And on the day they left, they burned their house to the ground so that they could never turn back.
    “I’m telling you it’s just a guess!”
    “No it’s not!”
    Alphonse groaned and stopped arguing with Edward, hoping that would shut him up for a bit. A lot of the time, Edward would argue and no one would’ve said anything before he started yammering on and on. Usually, it was completely irrelevant. Eventually, one subject would lead into another and then you would have your “topic of the day”. Luckily, that didn’t happen. Edward stared at Alphonse with a ‘know-it-all’ look in his eyes. He sighed and tried to find a subject that was off his “psychic powers”. But, all of his decisions eventually led back to it. So he just picked something off a short list and hoped it stuck. “So… do you think it’s raining this hard anywhere else?” He asked. The smart-a** look disappeared from Edward’s eyes. “I certainly hope so. I don’t want this to happen to us, and us only.” He said. Alphonse wasn’t happy with that answer. “How can you say that?” He asked. “What if this hit Resembool? You know how small and rural it is. It would easily flood.” Resembool was Edward and Alphonse’s hometown, which lived their childhood friends and Winry Rockbell. Edward’s auto-mail engineer and close friends with the brothers since birth. “Stop stressing, Al. Resembool is too far south to get it this hard.” Edward said. Alphonse sighed and said, “Anyway, you should get some sleep to make time go faster for you. You look real tired too.”
    “I’m fine Al.” Edward said. Alphonse still was staring at him, not believing what he said. “Really. I am.” This was a lie. Edward was exhausted. He felt that as soon as he stood up, gravity would get the better of him and he would collapse. Finally, Alphonse nodded. “Alright. If you say you are.” He turned and began staring out the window nearest to him. “Just don’t wear yourself out.” He whispered. Edward worried Alphonse…a lot. Especially when he says he’s okay when Alphonse knows he’s not. Finally, he spoke. Trying to clear his worried thoughts for his brother. He knew Edward could take care of himself. “It’s nice when it rains. Well, not badly like this, but it is generally.” He listened quietly waiting for some response. None came. “Ed?” Alphonse turned his head to see his brother lying on the bed, asleep. Alphonse laughed. If anyone could fall asleep that fast, it was Edward. Alphonse left him in peace. Happy that, for once, he decided to take it easy for his own sake. “The sleep is doing him good. He’s been wearing himself out so much, I wonder how long his little body can take it.” Alphonse thought. He suddenly heard the floorboards outside the room door squeak as if someone was waiting for them to come out, or waiting for a good time to come in. Eventually, the noise faded and was gone. Alphonse never took his eyes off the door until the noise was gone. Just to be sure that the person was gone he opened the door. The stranger was gone. But as Alphonse was about to close the door he looked down and saw a single piece of paper on the ground. He picked it up and read it. Alphonse sighed worriedly and turned to stare at Edward. “I wish I knew what he did now.”

    “COLONEL?” A knock came at a door at Central Headquarters. The knock came again when no response came. “Colonel Mustang? Are you there?” Roy Mustang was a soldier at Central, just recently been transferred from East HQ. “Hm?” Roy said drearily lifting his head up from his desk. He, as usual, had been sleeping on the job. “Yeah?” He said louder for the soldier on the other side of the door could hear him. Jean Havoc was a first lieutenant in the military who worked under Roy’s command. “You sleeping again sir?” He asked. A lot had happened at Central Headquarters. If you walked in the day before, all you would see and hear was lieutenants and warrant officers running back and forth with stacks of paperwork up to their chin and the soldiers of the higher ranks barking orders at anyone that worked below them. It was the same deal now but a lot more settled.
    “Not sleeping per se.” Roy said. Havoc smiled. “Right. Anyway, I got those reports on the killings for you.” He put a folder of papers in front of Roy. “Good.” He said and sat back up in his chair. “When was the last killing?” Roy asked. Havoc shrugged and said, “I’m not sure. A few weeks ago I think.”
    “Do you know where?”
    “I don’t remember the specific name but I know that it’s somewhere in the north.”
    “Bringham?” Roy said. “Yeah.” Roy nodded. “Anything else, sir?” Havoc asked. “No. That’s all.” Havoc opened the door halfway when suddenly Roy started to speak again. “Oh, if you see Fullmetal tell him to keep his eyes open for this guy. Hopefully, he’ll have heard of the murders and the guy’s M.O so he’ll be able to point the guy out. And tell him not to get in anything dangerous.” There was a short pause before Havoc sighed, shut the door and said, “Colonel… I just remembered that… Ed’s not in Central anymore. He and Al left not too long ago.”
    “Did he tell you where he was going?” He asked. “Uh…all he said is that he was headed north.” Roy’s eyes widened. “The killer might still be north. If he is, I just hope Ed hasn’t run into him yet. We need to catch this guy and he might be our best resource to find him. Since…” Roy thought. “We don’t know where he is… so well let him contact us. It’s much easier.” He said. “You aren’t going to cut his money so he can’t pay for his food again, are you?” Havoc asked. Roy stared at him with a slight smile on his face. “I guess that answers my question.”
    “It’s probably the only way. Do you have a better idea?” Havoc shook his head. “Then that’s what we’ll do.” Roy picked up the phone and dialed the number to the National State Alchemist Bank. Havoc decided to leave Roy and walked out the door. Just as he closed the door he heard him say through the door, “Hello, I’d like to cut Edward Elric’s money …”
    “I can’t believe he’s doing it to Ed again. Though, that’s Mustang. Always true to his word.” Havoc thought. He smiled to himself and walked away.

    THE NEXT day…
    A knock came at the Elric Brother’s door. “Mr. Elric?” Edward opened the door. “Yeah?” He said. The man was Edward and Alphonse’s hotel manager. “Not much but… I was told to give you your check.” He said. Edward grabbed the little piece of paper and looked at the price. His eyes widened. “Thanks.” He said and shut the door. Edward sighed, went over to his traveling trunk and began looking for his money. It took him a while to realize that he had no more then a few coins. “Damn.” Alphonse was in the other room now he poked his head around the corner. Is something the matter, “Ed?”
    “How could this happen again?”
    “What? What happened?” Alphonse asked again. Finally Edward answered. “I ran out of money again and I have to pay the bill.” “How much do you have to pay?” Alphonse said. “A lot more than what I thought.” Alphonse knew what he meant. “So you have to go to the bank again and get your money out of your account.” Alphonse implied. Edward nodded. “But there’s just one problem with doing that…” Edward began. “What’s that?”
    “Remember not too long ago when Mustang cut my bank account so I could let him give me his job?” Alphonse was puzzled. “What?” Edward sighed. “When we went to Wisteria? A few months ago?”
    “Oh, yeah! Now I remember.” Alphonse said. Edward nodded again knowingly. “You don’t think he’d do that again, do you?”
    “You now the Colonel. He’ll do anything to get somebody’s attention when he needs it.” Edward said. Alphonse nodded. “Well, I guess it’s worth a shot. How knows. Maybe he doesn’t need me to do his job again.” Edward stood up and put his coat. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He said as he walked out the door. “Alright.” Alphonse answered after he closed the door. He made sure that Edward was gone before he reached into the pocket on the side of his leg; used to hold the chalk he uses to draw his transmutation circles. Out of it he drew the letter intended to be given to Edward the night before.

    Edward Elric,
    Meet me at Main Street tomorrow at 10:00. We have serious business to discus.

    The letter wasn’t signed. But the handwriting looked familiar to Alphonse. He couldn’t place it though. Even though he didn’t know whom it was from, it somehow made him think that Edward had an enemy. Not that he didn’t already have one or more but something stood out in this letter that made Alphonse’s paranoid signals go off. “He doesn’t tell me much if he’s in trouble. I don’t know why I think he’ll tell me.” Alphonse thought. He sighed and watched the door wondering what that letter was about.

    WHEN EDWARD arrived at the bank he went to the teller immediately. “Hey, I’d like to open my account. My name’s Edward Elric.” He said. “Hang on one sec.” Edward waited impatiently at the desk, tapping his foot. “Sorry. I can’t open it.” The teller said after a while of silence. “I’ve tried everything I could but it’s locked.” Edward nodded as a response and walked out, furious but didn’t show it. Luckily, there was a payphone nearby. He reached for it and dialed the number of Central HQ. There were a few rings before Roy Mustang picked up. “Hello?”